


Truth, Justice, and the American Way

by Mouse9



Category: Superman Returns (2006), The Avengers (2012), Thor (2011)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-23
Updated: 2012-08-23
Packaged: 2017-11-12 16:57:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/493575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mouse9/pseuds/Mouse9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Oh my God; I just discovered my super power is completely seeing through super heroes disguises because apparently nobody else can see it.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth, Justice, and the American Way

“This? This is not a metropolis. This? This is like Anaheim saying they’re a major city because they have Disneyland when Los Angeles has totally got them beat. I’m willing to bet Wichita has more people in it than this place. Hell, Kansas City has more people.”

“Actually, Kansas City has less population per capita that Metropolis and Wichita has only three hundred and twenty three more people.” Darcy and Steve sat in the back of a taxi heading towards the main part of town, weaving in and out of traffic. Darcy leaned over, grabbing the book from Steve’s hand.

“Shut up. Nuh-uh.”

“It’s what the book says.” Steve leaned back against the back seat, allowing his companion to dig through the travel book.

Frustrated, she tossed it back into his lap. “Still don’t believe it. So why are we out here again? Not that I don’t mind the vacation, but I was figuring any vacation time I had would be taken with a completely different person.”

“It isn’t a vacation. You’re working.” He smiled at her pouty expression. “Hill figured you’d like getting away from New York for a while.”

“No she didn’t. I know what this is. This is _Hey Darcy; we need you to stop distracting our physicist with your awesomeness and dirty talk so he can focus on something other than your legs for a bit, so just run off with Steve for a while. We’re not worried about him falling into your womanly trap_.”

Steve laughed, knowing that pretty much summed up exactly why Darcy was in Kansas with him. SHIELD needed Banner on an important project and he wouldn’t focus if Darcy was anywhere near the vicinity of his lab. “I’m sure he misses you.”

“Oh I know he misses me.” She confirmed. “It’s Hill that doesn’t.”

The taxi slid easily to the curb and stopped. “Here we are.” The driver said, turning around in his seat to eye the two tourists. “You all from New York?” He asked, as Steve dug out the correct amount of money to pay him. “You guys got those superheroes out there too. We’ve got our own around here.”

Steve handed the money to the driver with a polite smile. “That what I’ve heard.”

“We’ve got our own guy in red, white and blue tights.” Darcy told the driver as she slid out of the taxi. “We don’t need another.”

Steve shut the door behind her and waited until the taxi drove off, easily disappearing in the mid-town traffic again. “I don’t wear tights.”

“Tights, body suit, whatever. Oh my God, they still have these dinosaurs?”

Steve looked up, smiling fondly at the gray brick skyscraper with the words Daily Planet scripted in golden metal letters over the front entrance. High on top of the building, a large gold Earth was rotating slowly on an axis. Steve nudged Darcy’s shoulder and they began walking towards the front doors of the building.

“So how do you know this guy?”

“Perry was an old friend of mine from back in the war.” He explained as they walked past the guard’s desk and towards the elevators in the middle of the building.

“And by old you mean…old?”

“He was younger than me in the war, but I figure he has to be probably pushing ninety now. From what I heard, this paper is his life. I figure he’ll die at his desk before leaving here.”

The elevators opened into organized chaos. The bull pen was filled with people on phones, typing, yelling across the room or trading sheets of paper, the flow moving back and forth across the large room. Darcy shrugged. “Looks like the PR department after a battle.” She mused.

Steve pointed towards the glass offices at the front of the room. “That’s the Editor-in Chief’s office.” He told her, pointing at an office that showed a middle aged man pacing across the floor, on a cell phone. He moved his finger to the office next door where the blinds were drawn. “That is probably Perry’s office.”

“You guys don’t look like pizza delivery.” A younger man stopped in front of them, an expensive Nikon hanging from his neck. Darcy tilted her head.

“What gave it away? The fact that we don’t have pizzas?” The young man actually looked chagrined at her retort.

“We’re looking for Perry White.” Steve interrupted smoothly. “Is he in today?”

The kid smiled fondly, making him look younger than he probably was. “Oh yeah, Mr. White never misses a day. But he usually doesn’t get visitors. If it’s about the paper, his son Richard White is our Editor in Chief now.”

“I’m a friend of Perry’s. We’re in town and I figured I’d stop by and say hello. I haven’t seen him for a while.”

“Oh sure. I’m sure he’d like to see some friends.” The kid eyed Darcy nervously and she grinned back, showing all her teeth. Steve rolled his eyes and pushed her forward, his hand on her back.

“Could you quit scaring the reporters please?” He hissed in her ear. “Sometimes, I think Bruce is rubbing off on you far more than you’re rubbing off on him.” He moved his hand to point a finger at her face when he noticed the beginning of the naughty smirk growing across her lips. “Don’t you dare.”

“You are such a boy scout.” She teased, pinching his cheek. Sighing exasperatedly, he moved his hand away as they reached the closed door.

“I’ll only be a little bit. Can you wait out here and not get into trouble or do I need you to bring you into the office and sit you down in a chair?”

“I promise I’ll be good, Cap.” She said, holding up three fingers together in the Boy Scout salute.

He eyed her warily for a moment, then after deciding to trust her, knocked on the office door. “I'm trusting you Darcy.”

“What in the Sam Hill do you want?” A voice bellowed from the other side of the door, causing Darcy to raise an eyebrow.

“He doesn’t sound no ninety.” She commented.

“Come on in! Quit standing out there making me get up and answer the door.” The voice called out again, gruff and annoyed. Giving Darcy one last warning look, he opened the door to the office and stepped in, shutting it behind him.

“Hello Perry.” He said.  "Long time no see.” The old man turned around in his chair, his mouth agape at the figure standing in his office.

“Steve? Steve Rogers?” he asked, then grinned widely. “You old son of a bitch, I heard they pulled your ass from the ice. I knew you were just too stubborn to die.” Steve laughed as he crossed the office towards the desk.

Perry White, retired editor of the Daily Planet, picked up his walking cane and stood up slowly, circling the table to hug the young man standing in front of him.

“It’s good to see you again Perry.” Steve said, returning the hug.

“Let me look at you.” Perry pulled back, looking Steve over. “I can’t believe it. I mean, I heard the rumors, but I thought they just got some guy and threw him in a Captain America suit and sent him off, never in a million years did I think it was actually you. You look exactly the same as you did the last time I saw you in Germany.”

“It’s amazing what seventy years in ice will do for a body.” Steve joked, patting the old man on the back. “And you, you’re looking good for your age.”

“Balderdash. I look every year of my ninety three.” He said, walked back towards his desk and sinking into the leather chair with a sigh. “So, what brings you out of New York and into our lovely city? As much as I love seeing you again, I know you didn’t come here for a social call.” Steve smiled and shook his head.

“I didn’t. You know what I came to retrieve.”

Perry sighed. “I was just waiting for someone to show up for it.”

 

 

Darcy leaned against the wall as the office door shut, casually scanning the busy hub of the newsroom. She tried to play it cool and like she so didn’t care where they were, but when Steve had told her she was going to accompany him to Metropolis Kansas, she was quietly excited. Living in a house full of superheroes and personally dating a sweet quiet man who could turn into a nine foot green rage monster, she was not about to insult anyone by saying that the indestructible man with the red cape that kept Metropolis safe was one of her favorite superheroes. And just from the footage she’d seen on him, she just knew he was as apple pie as Steve and had secretly hoped that during this trip she could meet him; because she would so kill to see both her favorite boy scouts together in the same space.

The sound of stacks of papers falling caught her attention. A dark haired man disappeared from sight and even across the room, the embarrassed sorry could be heard followed by a loud exasperated sigh.

“I just finished organizing those Clark; I’m not doing it again.” Darcy pushed off the wall, walking over to where the stack of papers had fallen. A brunette woman was sitting at her desk, looking sternly towards the dark haired man on his knees, gathering fallen sheets of paper.

“Sorry Lois,” he said his voice soft. “I’ll reorganize it for you.” The woman nodded, glancing towards Darcy as she approached.

“Who are you?”

“The person who’s going to help pick up these papers.” Darcy stated, crouching down and picking up pieces from the floor. The woman wrinkled her nose distastefully.

“Are you supposed to be here? Nobody’s allowed in the newsroom.”

Darcy halted in picking up papers long enough to give the woman a look. “What? Do you think I’m going to scoop you and write it on my blog? I don’t even own a freaking blog.” Ignoring the woman, she focused her attention on the man still gathering papers and said papers still scattering the floor. His abashed apology followed by the way he immediately insisted he would correct the problem hit a cord with her. For a moment, he sounded exactly how Bruce did when she’d first met him; hiding in plain sight, always apologizing for everything that wasn’t his fault and generally trying not to be noticed. As it had with Bruce, the tone irked her to no end because even though she’d seen true evil in the world, she still couldn’t understand how people could just trample all over others without a second thought.

Tapping the stack of papers on the floor to neaten them, she handed them to the man kneeling in front of her. He glanced up at her over the rim of his black framed glasses, smiling thankfully as he took the papers from her and she was struck by the stark blue of his eyes hiding behind the frames. His free hand pushed the glasses up his nose as he climbed to his feet then immediately reached out to help her up.

“Thank you Miss.” He said his voice still quiet. She stared, she knew she was but she couldn’t help it. There was no way that it could be him. Her mind went rushing forward in high speed, pieces clicking together and she giggled uncontrollably as she climbed to her feet.

“Oh my cheese and crackers, it’s you.” She couldn’t calm the giggles. The man in front of her gave her a curious look, and then blushed when he realized he was still holding her hand. Darcy clasped her hands together in delight and grinned. “It’s really you? Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m meeting you-actually meeting you!”

The woman sitting in the desk across from them was watching the interaction with a large amount of confusion. “Really? I didn’t know Clark had fans.” She looked towards the dark haired man who pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose again in a nervous gesture. “Clark, did you know you had fans?”

“Golly Lois, my picture isn’t even in the paper.” The man across from her- **Clark** \- answered. Darcy glanced quickly at the nameplate on his desk, realizing that she was _thisclose_ to ruining his secret identity, although, how top notch were these reporters if they couldn’t realize that if he took off the glasses and mussed his hair a bit that the bispecled reporter sitting across from most of them was the freaking Man of Steel himself?

“Heck yeah, Clark Kent, ace reporter for the Daily Planet.” Darcy said, grabbing his hand again and pumping it. He awkwardly put the stack of papers on the desk so they didn’t tumble from his hand as Darcy shook almost his whole body in her handshake. A crooked smile graced his features.

“Shucks Miss…”

“Lewis. Darcy Lewis. It is so very awesome to meet you. And I know I’m fangirling, and I totally shouldn’t be fangirling I mean, look where I live and who I’m freaking dating for cripes sake, but this is so awesome!”

“Okay…well thank you Miss Lewis, but actually Lois is the top reporter for the Daily Planet.” He gestured towards the annoyed looking brunette sitting at the desk next to them. Darcy glanced at her and snorted.

“Really? You’re the top reporter? Then I apologize because you have got to be the most honorable person in the world for not running the biggest story in the history of big stories.”

Clark’s eyes suddenly widened and he clutched Darcy’s hand a little tighter than he expected, releasing when he noticed her wince. “Why don’t I just take her out and show her the printing room?” He asked Lois, nudging Darcy away from the desk and the now puzzled reporter. “Could you let her friend know where we are when they get out? Or let Jimmy know to tell Perry? Thanks Lois.”

The brunette scoffed, before turning back to her computer. Clark sighed in relief as he led Darcy towards the elevator. “You’re very confusing young women Miss Lewis.” He said as they got on the elevator. She gave him a bright grin.

“I get that a lot.”

 

 

An hour later, Steve walked out of Perry White’s office, saying farewell to the man and promising to check in more often now that they both knew how to use the internet. He closed the door to the office and looked around. Darcy was suspiciously absent.

“You were looking for your friend?” The young man that had greeted them when they entered the bull pen asked as he passed. Steve nodded and the man pointed towards the elevators. “Mr. Kent took her on a tour of the newspaper. Apparently she ticked off Ms. Lane and he took her out of the line of fire.” Steve thanked the kid and pulled out his phone to text his wayward companion.

**Darcy where are you?**

**OMG STEVE!!!!! On the roof, take the elevator all the way up, you are not going to believe who I met!!!!!**

Suddenly wary, he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the roof. The elevator seemed to taking longer than it should and when it finally dinged for the roof and the doors opened he had worked his way up to cautious.

The sound of laughter filled his ears as the doors opened and he left the elevator to walk around the top of the roof towards the noise. Leaning against the base of the twirling globe was Darcy and standing next to her was a dark haired man in a suit.

“Please, glasses and floppy hair isn’t a disguise.” Darcy was telling him. “My boyfriend is a giant green rage monster and I can completely see straight through him.” The man chuckled lowly.

“Dr. Banner just seems like such a quiet, introverted man.”

Darcy snorted. “Are you saying I’m not quiet? I can totally do quiet.”

“I can’t see it.”

She laughed, her head thrown back, her hand slapping his arm lightly.

“Darcy?” Steve called out. Both she and the dark haired man turned to look at him, Darcy’s face still broke out in a smile.

“Steve! You two totally have to meet!” She gestured to the suddenly embarrassed man with a flourish. “This is Clark Kent. Clark, this is Steve Rogers.”

Clark held out his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.” Steve took his hand, shaking it.

“You also. Are you a reporter here?”

Darcy snorted before Clark could answer. “Oh my God; I just discovered my super power is completely seeing through super heroes disguises because apparently nobody else can see it.” She pointed at Clark again. “Steve, this is Clark Kent, _super_ reporter for the Daily Planet. Clark, this is _Captain_ Steve Rogers.” She took a step back, arms folded under her chest as she waited for what she said to kick in.

Clark caught on first, his eyes opening in wonder, a smile of pure joy crossing his face. “Captain. It is an honor to meet you.” He said, his other hand pulling off his glasses.

The minute the glasses came off, Steve’s eyes widened immediately recognizing the man. “No, the honor is all mine, sir.”

Darcy looked at both men, a proud happy smile on her face.

 

 

“I take it back, best trip ever!” Darcy announced as they entered the Penthouse of Stark Towers.

Steve closed the door behind them, pocketing his badge. “I agree; I met an old friend, did what I went there to do and met a new friend.”

“He’s totally like you and Thor mixed together with an extra batch of awesome!"

“Who met a new friend?” Tony asked poking his head into the hallway. He gave Steve a mock frown. “Are you making friends without me Rogers? Where’s the love?”

Steve rolled his eyes and walked past them towards stairs that led to his suite. “Thanks for going with me Darcy.”

“Oh no, thanks for dragging me along.” She replied, still grinning as he climbed the stairs and disappeared around a wall. She dropped her bag by the door and walked into the living room where Tony had retreated. He looked at her as she passed him and flopped tiredly on one of the chairs. “Where’s my man?”

“Still in the lab.” He tilted his head. “Something happened?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Something good?”

She leaned her head backwards over the chair and gave him an upside down grin.

“Something super.”

**Author's Note:**

> Again, I blame Tumblr. First for putting the picture of Captain America meeting Superman, and then for someone making a comment dealing with both Darcy and Clark. Once that happened, there was no stopping it.   
> This also came about in time for the Darcy Lewis Crossover Week which, coincidentally, just happened to be suggest the same time this idea showed up. Hmmm....   
> Also, since my Darcy cannot be written without some mentionof her jolly green boyfriend, there are hints of Bruce/Darcy in here.


End file.
